A link between normal sleep and healthy aging has been found, according to a research abstract presented at Sleep 2008, the 22nd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.
The study, authored by Sonia Ancoli-Israel, PhD, of the University of California at San Diego, and colleagues, focused on 2,226 women 60 years of age or older.
The study, authored by Sonia Ancoli-Israel, PhD, of the University of California at San Diego, and colleagues, focused on 2,226 women 60 years of age or older.
Reports of use of sleeping aids, daytime somnolence, napping, sleep latency, sleep maintenance insomnia, early morning awakening, snoring, overall perceived sleep quality, and sleep duration were all assessed.
__________
Sleep disruption is common, especially during times when you may feel emotionally overwhelmed. Anxiety, relentless replaying of the day’s events, and heightened emotions may significantly interfere with your sleep. Lack of sleep robs you of needed rest, making management of your illness more difficult.
Some people, for a variety of reasons, still have sleep disturbances related to the events of September 11, 2001, which saw the destruction of the World Trade Centers and partial destruction of the Pentagon. Other people, especially family members and friends of deployed American military personnel, don’t always sleep well. There are always those people who are stressed about things, such as stress at work, lack of a job, loss of a job, family issues, or financial issues.
__________
The recent rise in obesity may be partly due to the reduced amount of time we spend asleep, according to new research from the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom.
Dr. Shahrad Taheri from Bristol University, and colleagues in the United States, examined the role of two key hormones that are involved in regulating appetite — ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin increases feelings of hunger while leptin acts to suppress appetite.
__________
